The bill amends Section 161.007 of the Health and Safety Code to improve the management of the immunization registry and enhance the confidentiality of individuals' immunization data. Notably, it removes the requirement for written or electronic consent prior to including an individual's information in the registry. Instead, individuals or their legally authorized representatives can request exclusion from the registry at various points, such as at birth and after immunizations. The bill ensures that individuals are not required to request exclusion more than once and that their information will not be included in the registry unless a subsequent request for inclusion is made. Additionally, it prohibits the use of registry information to deny services during disasters unless medically contraindicated and bans the sale of registry information to any entity.

Further provisions include the establishment of new procedures for requesting exclusion from the registry and the department's obligation to notify individuals about their immunization information's inclusion. The bill also requires health care providers to inform individuals about the registry and mandates that the department's institutional review board cannot approve the release of identifiable information for research without informed consent. It repeals previous provisions that allowed for the inclusion of immunization information without consent and clarifies that individuals must be notified before their data is submitted to the registry. The changes will apply to immunization information received before, on, or after January 1, 2027, and a public awareness campaign will be launched to educate stakeholders about these updates, with the act taking effect on January 1, 2027, and certain provisions earlier on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 161.007, Health and Safety Code 161.00705, Health and Safety Code 161.00706, Health and Safety Code 161.0071, Health and Safety Code 161.0073, Health and Safety Code 161.00735, Health and Safety Code 161.008, Health and Safety Code 161.009, Health and Safety Code 161.0095, Health and Safety Code 161.0107 (Health and Safety Code 161)